Products October 28, 2008

KLD, FTSE Unveil ESG Index Suite

KLD Research&Analytics, Inc.â€″a provider of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) research and indexesâ€″and global index provider FTSE have partnered to offer a suite of ESG indexes.
Reported by

A news release said FTSE will collaborate with KLD on the conception, design, and worldwide marketing of co-branded ESG indexes.

“Our partnership with FTSE is a milestone for the practice of SRI and ESG investment worldwide,” said Peter D. Kinder, president of KLD, in the relese. “FTSE’s global reach and expertise will enable more investors and managers to integrate KLD’s indexes into their strategies—both as benchmarks and as the basis for investment products.”

More information is available at www.kld.com/indexes.

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Data & Research October 28, 2008

Some Too Strained to Save

Many who have stopped contributing to their retirement plans have done so because of the financial crisis.
Reported by

A new survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of TD AMERITRADE Holding Corporation found that financial strain because of the economic downturn was cited by half of those who say they have reduced or stopped contributing to their retirement plan.

Unemployment (32%) and health care costs (25%) were also key factors cited as affecting respondents’ ability to contribute to their retirement plans, according to a press release.

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Of the 35% that said they have reduced their retirement plan contributions, 14% have cut their contributions back by 5% to 20%, and 6% have reduced their contributions by 21% or more. Sixty-three percent indicated they have stopped contributing completely.

Nearly one in four respondents (22%) ages 35 to 44 years indicated that they have stopped or reduced their retirement plan contributions—more than any other age group, according to the release.

Slightly more than half (54%) of Americans polled say they are currently invested in a retirement plan. Thirty-four percent of respondents say they currently have less than $50,000 in investable assets. Only 21% of those polled indicated they have $50,000 or more in investable assets.

When asked if they plan to personally contribute more to their future retirement given the potential changes in Social Security, nearly half (43%) answered yes.

The survey findings are based on a telephone survey conducted among a national probability sample of 1,005 adults living in private households in the continental United States.

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